Despite winning several Oscars, Olivier's (condensed) version of Shakespeare's masterpiece makes for frustrating viewing.
Comment
02/20/08
Hamlet (1948)
92
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:26
Fresh:24
Rotten:2
Average Rating:8.1/10
Consensus: A well-executed labor of love from star and director Laurence Olivier, Hamlet not only proved that Shakespeare could be successfully adapted to the big screen, it paved the way for further cinematic interpretations.
Runtime: 2 hrs 35 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Before Kenneth Branagh, before Mel Gibson, Laurence Olivier gave the definitive portrayal of "the man who could not make up his mind." In 15th-century Denmark, young Prince Hamlet is racked by... [More]
Starring: Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Basil Sydney, Felix Aylmer
Director: Laurence Olivier
Reviews for Hamlet
Top CriticOlivier's classic and personalised version of the troubled Prince of Denmark is still highly atmospheric and intriguing.
02/20/08
Top CriticHamlet has been filmed many times, but few can hold a candle to Olivier's portrayal of the Danish prince in 1948.
02/20/08
Top CriticOlivier's direction of the film is inspired.
01/01/00
The matter is settled; the filmed Hamlet of Laurence Olivier gives absolute proof that these classics are magnificiently suited to the screen.
12/12/06
Top CriticOf the four versions of Hamlet that I've seen, this one is the most psychological, the one that truly delves into Hamlet's mind and psyche.
01/30/04
While I don't know if Olivier's is the best (I'm inclined to go with Branagh's), it certainly bears the indelible stamp of its director/star's personality.
01/01/00
Laurence Olivier's famous 1948 interpretation of Shakespeare's play suffers slightly from his pop-Freud approach to the character and from some excessively flashy, wrongheaded camera work.
12/12/06
a bold, well-paced tragedy that helped expand audience notions of what Shakespeare on screen could be like
02/27/01
Done in different style than Henry V, based on Olivier's metaphor that Hamlet is more like an engraving than a painting, the play was hauntingly shot in b/w, dwelling on the Castle and its massive and gloomy corridors where the action takes place.
07/15/06
Olivier's Hamlet is terrific to watch and his performance is great but, like the play, the film is somewhat tedious.
10/31/06
It is everything that it should be: beautiful and haunting, powerful and ultimately tragic.
02/28/02
One of the best versions of the Bard's.
08/30/07
This is picture-making at its best, and its showing must be done with the dignity it deserves.
02/20/08
Top CriticIf you want to study Shakespeare, and how it should really be done, then watch Laurence Olivier.
09/18/02
The feature is certain to live forever as a screen classic.
06/13/01
Top CriticSir Laurence Olivier's masterful version of the classic.
02/18/09
Top CriticOlivier always felt that each different Hamlet is an essay, subject to the individual's interpretation.
12/12/06
Top CriticFor its time, one of the best Shakespearean adaptations, even though a lot of the text has been omitted. Olivier's psychological take on Hamlet could be debated today.
10/23/02
A valuable classic.
07/21/04
Latest News for Hamlet
July 21, 2008:
Brush Up On Your Shakespeare With Our List Of The Bard's Best Films
Friends, readers, Tomato-fans, lend me your ears. Not stepping o'er the bounds of modesty, we at RT humbly present to you the Greatest Shakespeare Movies, a list of the Bard's... More...
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